13 comments:

"Beer or? boys" ?? They look like the Women's Christian Temperance Union gals who protested at bars around the country, especially in Pasadena, in the 40's. Or maybe they're that evening's live karaoke. The bartender likes them.

The gals are wearing signage claiming"beer or broads" The men folk have chosen beer and turned their backs on the broads. The disappointed ladies went to a lot of trouble with those eye catching hats. The bartender is amused.

Chris is right (definitely about the WCTU; uncertain about the karaoke). As a beer-loving Fuller graduate, this photo encapsulates a couple of my specailist subjects. If it's of any help, it seems to be from 1947, and the Life Magazine archive shows the same scene from the reverse angle - http://www.life.com/image/50509358 . Other photos of (seemingly) the same ladies in action can be found mid-way down the page here - http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4640973 . I'd hate to be the blonde that had to face up to them!

To follow my earlier comment, Googling "WCTU Pasadena" (leave out the quotes) revealed a couple of other nuggets of information. The date of the confrontation seems to have been 1 May 1947, and Life Magazine (indexed on Google Books) from 19 May has an article with photos. It also has a delightful quote from Bessie Lee Cowie, 86, the leader of the women: "Again and again girls have told me that their fall began with a glass of wine."

The Ottawa Citizen (again via Google) also has a write-up. I especially like the following paragraph: ""Hey, bartender," a youth in a natty brown gaberdine suit shouted, "Gimmie a beer.""